HMO Members Find Quality of Programs Much Superior to Traditional Health Care

Mittler’s column seemed like an argument that HMOs should accept the blame for all the shortcomings of the American system of health care. He uses the financial collapse of the Maxicare HMO as a basis for his argument, but his diagnosis is faulty. Maxicare had to file for bankruptcy court protection because of bad financial practices rather than from bad medical practice.

As president of Physicians Who Care, Mittler would like to turn the clock back to the “good old days” where persons needing health care were able to obtain it only if they had the finances to pay for the services of a physician.

The tremendous increase in the nation’s health-care costs does not mean that the basic needs of the people are being satisfied. Millions have no health insurance at all or, at best, inadequate coverage. Even those who have what they thought was adequate health insurance are being pressured to reduce the benefits they are able to purchase because of rising costs.

It would be extremely helpful if doctors such as Mittler would recognize that the old “Golden Age” of medical practice has proven itself incapable of dealing with today’s needs. If they were to redirect their energies to making the kinds of reforms that are required to correct the problems that are choking the health-care field and come up with ideas that will help retain that which is good in the present system, they would render the nation a valuable service.

DANIEL COHEN

Santa Monica